History - Manuscripts

The Manuscripts Department, located at the Richelieu Library (Site Richelieu), holds the majority of sources predating the invention of the printing press, such as medieval charters and cartularies and collections of deeds. However, its collections cover all fields. More specifically, they include the following:

collections of historical pieces from the early modern period, grouped together under the names of their former owners (e.g. the Baluze, Clairambault, Colbert, Duchesne, Dupuy, and Joly de Fleury collections)

collections on the history of the French provinces: Burgundy, Champagne, Flanders, etc.

The Arsenal Library (Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal) also holds historical manuscripts and collections of archives such as Froissart’s Grandes Chroniques de France, diplomatic archives from the d’Argenson family, and the Archives de la Bastille.